The Color of Absence
by Moxy-X-Kozz
Summary: A transfer student shakes things up, Charlie Weasley comes for a visit, Slytherin and Griffindoor tollerate each other, and oh-did I mention Draco has an identity crisis? Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter and Severus Snape/Lucius Malfoy. Sorry summery sucks.
1. Chapter 1

Yes, realy. XD

This will be a strictly Harry Potter / Draco Malfoy story.

Mihael Van Styke is just the comidy relief/starter for the basic plot.

As for the title: "The Color of Absence" is a referance to my original book David de Laffyette and my second book which I have still yet to name. ^.^'

In these books, the Sobian word for the very blackest of blacks is the same as the Sobian word for Absence-the lack of something. The characters have a conversation about this in both books and reach the conclusion that (A) it is the same word because the very darkest, blackest black would be the absolute absence of color or (B) its the same word because they couldn't think of a new word to use for that color so they gave it an old one.

Anyway, tell me what you think!

Should I continue this?

Review me please!

All characters with the exception of Mihael Van Styke are (C) J. K. Rowling

*= change in time

+= change in POV

italics+'i'= thoughts

bold= shouting or enphasis on something specific

"i"=someone talking

Transfer students were extremely rare in the magical world, especialy at Hogwarts. So when, after sorting all the first years, Professor McGonagall announced that she would now sort a 6th year transfer student everyone was surprised-to say the least.

Whispers immediately filled the Great Hall as the new student made his way to the sorting hat. He apparently had not gotten his robes yet, or just hadn't bothered to change, and was wearing black skinny jeans, combat boots, and band tee with the logo of a muggle band on its front. Tall and thin, good muscle muild; he seemed to have the build of a Seeker or Keeper, but the way he carried himself suggested an attitude and personality more suited to a Beeter or Chaser.

The sorting hat barely touched his absence black curles before calling out Slytherin. He smirked-a Malfoy werthy smirk-as he made his way to their table. His eyes, as absence black as his shoulder length hair, scanned the table quickly. Draco felt a tug at the edge of his mind and realized quite suddenly that he was reading all their minds one at a time. His smirk widened and he stoped beside Draco.

"Mihael Van Styke, pleased to meet you Mr.-?" he extended his hand,heavy accent making the politness of his words sound false. Or maybe it was.

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." he took the waiting hand, shook it, and Van Styke sat next to him-literally shoving Pansy Parkinson out of the spot without acknowledging her presence at all.

"So, where did you transfer from?" he asked, both boys choosing to ignore Pansy's iritated shrieks.

"Russia. My robes and what-not will be arriving before classes in the morning."

"Ah, so that's it. I thought you just didn't bother to change."

"I probably woldn't have anyway." he flipped his rist and laughed. Draco laughed with him. Pansy let out a high pitched squeal right next to Van Styke's ear. He didn't even flinch. "So, what's open on the Quidditch team?"

"All positions are open to consideration except Seeker." he didn't think it was possible, but the other boys grin widened yet again.

"Then I'll be trying for Beater." Draco smirked. "I figured you'd say that. Or Chaser." they laughed again.

"Guess who." Ron growled as Malfoy came around the corner in their direction, followed closely by Zabini and Van Styke.

Mihael Van Styke had been, since his arrival, a rather confusing character. If he found a person interesting or at all worth his time he was generaly nice to them-no matter what house they were in. However if he did not, he tended to be rather nasty towards them. And if he particularly disliked a person-or down right hated them-he was either cold and vicious, or he completely ignored their existance totaly (one girl who'd been pinning after him actualy had an emotional breakdown because of his visious comments to her. The next day at lunch he stood atop Slytherin table and announced to the whole school he was gay).

What confused Harry, realy, was who he found interesting. Besides Malfoy and Zabini, he was known to socialize with only Hermione, Luna, Professor Snape, and the Twins. Apparently he had visited their joke shoppe in Diagonally just before school and the three had become fast friends. It was because of this that he was marginaly nice to Ron, and-Harry assumed-to him aswell.

At first it had been rather awkward for everyone. They didn't exactly get along after all. But before long they were all fine with it. They still didn't like each other, but they were all his friends, so they managed to tolerate each other when in his presence. Before they knew it, when Hermione would drag them to the library to study Van Styke and Malfoy would meet them there. They would sometimes even meet up with the Slytherin trio on trips to Hogsmeade, their mutual loyalty to Van Styke the only thing keeping them all at ease-and everyone ells from whispering.

"Oi! Harry, Ron!" the absence haired teen grinned at them. Harry personaly found his grin unsettling-it reminded him of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and looked damn creepy on a human. Especialy on Van Styke's long, thin face. "Have you seen Hermione? I wanted to ask her something about the paper due for Sev-Professor Snape today."

"That's due today?!" Harry winced. Ron had shreaked right next to his ear. "I think she's in the library. You want to go too, I assume?" Ron nodded and they turned back down the hall toward the library. Harry herd Zabini tell Van Styke he would see them next class. _'Them?' _Harry looked back and realized that Malfoy was coming too.

Draco felt a nudge against the edge of his thoughts and lowered his defenses.

_'What is it, Mihael?'_

_'Have you thought about it?'_

_'Yes.'_

_'And?'_

_'And, I'm going to tell you the same thing I've told you every other time you've brought it up: __**NO**__.'_

He pushed Mihael back out of his thoughts and the other boy humphed. Har-**Potter** looked back at them over his shoulder as they reached the library doors. Hermione was sitting at the same table she always did, three stacks of at least eight books each on the table around her. "Hey there, bookworm." both Harry and Ron tensed at Draco's coment, but neither one said anything. He knew why. They had noticed too. So had was...different. He'd started changing. Ever since Mihael had started interwieving the two groups he had changed, little by little. He never called Hermi-**Granger** 'Mudblood' or anything of the sort. He might call her 'bookworm' or 'nerd' as he just had, but it leaned more towards affectionate than teasing. He did not like her. He did not like _them_. He especialy did not like **Harry bloody Potter**.

So why did it bother him so much?

A small voice in the back of his head told him to quit lieing, he realy did. He mentaly shoved that voice of the astronamy tower.

Draco Malfoy did not like Harry Potter. Draco Malfoy did not have a crush on Harry Potter. And Draco Malfoy certainly was **NOT** in love with Harry Potter.

Mihael Van Styke was wrong. Mihael Van Styke was insane and needed to be comited to St. Mundo's.

Maybe Draco Malfoy should be comited with him. Because Draco Malfoy couldn't stop watching Harry Potter's lips move as he talked.

Yes, to St. Mundo's, defalintaly, the both of them.


	2. Chapter 2: Snow Fun & Surprise Visits

This will be a strictly Harry Potter / Draco Malfoy story.

Mihael Van Styke is just the comidy relief/starter for the basic plot.

As for the title: "The Color of Absence" is a referance to my original book David de Laffyette and my second book which I have still yet to name. ^.^'

In these books, the Sobian word for the very blackest of blacks is the same as the Sobian word for Absence-the lack of something. The characters have a conversation about this in both books and reach the conclusion that (A) it is the same word because the very darkest, blackest black would be the absolute absence of color or (B) its the same word because they couldn't think of a new word to use for that color so they gave it an old one.

Anyway, tell me what you think!

Should I continue this?

Review me please!

All characters with the exception of Mihael Van Styke are (C) J. K. Rowling

~=change in POV (Point Of View)

*=change in time

#=change in location/characters

"normal"=someone talking

_'italic'_=someone thinking

_'italic'_=someone quoting someone/something

**bold**=someone shouting/putting enphasis on something being said

%=story start/end

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

_**The Color of Absence**_

_**Chapter.2: Snow Fun & Suprise Visits**_

"Aaeehhh!"

The Gryffindore trio jumped and turned toward the sound of a girl's scream, only to bust out laughing as they realized that it was actualy Mihael that had screamed, not a girl. He was wiggling about, trying to dislodge the snow that Blaise had shoved down the back of his black velvet frock coat.

"Blaise. Zabini. I. Will. **KILL. **YOU!"

Blaise laughed but turned and bulted when Mihael lunged at him. Draco was a few feet away, bent duble from laughing so hard.

"You'll have to cetch me first!" the other boy yelled, narowly dodging Mihael's next attack. Blaise seemed to notice their Gryffindore audiance then, and-grin widening-ran towards them.

"Oh, please tell me he's not..."

"He is."

"I wish he wern't."

Blaise slid behind the trio, barely managing not to knock them down, but was followed a step later by Mihael who ran into Ron and did knock them down. The two Slytherins were back on there feet within seconds, and their Gryffindore friends decided theey'd probly be safer sitting. They watched Mihael chase Blaise down, eventualy catching him and takling him to the ground. They laughed and watched the two wrestle and fling snow at each other. Then something acured to Harry.

"Um, guys...where is Draco?"

Things were still rocky at best within Mihael's circle of friends but everyone was making an effort. It was days like these-slow, fun days-that it seemed easyest to get along with each other. Even if it was more on the friendly side now, Draco still had his moments of picking on them. Hermione learned forward, listening carefully. Harry and Ron sat perfectly still, hardly daring breathe. Harry herd snow crunch somewhere near by and Hermione shouted "There!" jumping up to point behind them at a tree on the very edge of the lake. Harry and Ron jumped up but before they could move they were each hit with a snow ball. Harry pulled off his glasses to whipe away the snow as Draco walked up to them laughing. Just as Harry had his glasses back on Ron threw a snowball at Draco-who grabed Harry and jumped behind him. Harry sighed and took his glasses back off, again whipping away snow. Draco laughed and leaned his head forward on Harry's shoulder.

"Nice aim, Weasley." Harry's pulse sped up at the proximity of Draco's face to his own.

Mihael had mentioned a cuple weeks ago that Draco fancied him, but he still hadn't been able to figure out if the Russian had been joking or not. Even if Draco's behavior was generaly nicer than before, it was no more so to Harry than it was to Hermione, Ron, and Luna. He treated all of them better.

"You might wanna brush up on that." Harry blinked, trying to see Draco from the corner of his eye.

The blonde's tone had suddenly become darker, almost morbid even. He seemed to do that more and more often lately, though Harry was the only one who seemed to catch it. And Mihael, but for some reason he ignored it. At least, he did when the others were around.

"Hey Weasley. I thought all your brothers graduated already?"

"They have,...why?"

"Because it looks like one of them decided to pay you a visit."

"Who's paying who a visit?" Blaise asked as he and Mihael came up to them, aparently having gotten over the previous incident.

Draco pointed over Harry's shoulder at a tall man walking towards them from the castle. His elbow length, ginger hair was tied back in a ponytail and a wide grin spread across his freckled face as he came closer. His pants, boots, and coat were all made of red dragon hide.

"Charlie!"

"The one that works in Romania with dragons?"

"Dragons?"

"Oh, you've done it now," Blaise smirked. "Draco is **obsessed** with dragons."

"Am not." Draco grumbled back, but he was practicaly bouncing on his toes waiting for Charlie to reach them. Draco stepped closer to Ron, who was saying something about Charlie's work in Romania. As the older Weasley came closer, however, his grin faded slightly.

"Hello, Mihael." he breathed, finnaly stopping a foot away from the group. "Hello, Charlie." Mihael replied, his long mouth involuntarily forming a grim line-something Harry had come to recognise as a sign that he was thinking very hard about something, trying to find the answer to a complex problem or riddle. Hermione did the same thing sometimes.

They looked between Charlie and Mihael for a few minutes, before Ron broke the sudden silence.

"Wait, wait, you two know each other?"

"Oh, we defalintaly **know** each other."

Harry tilted his head slightly at Charlie's tone. What was that?

"Um, **how** exactly?"

"He decided to go traveling through Romania a cuple months back, even though he couldn't speak Romanian. He got dehidrated and passed out near our camp." Charlie shrugged. "Our medic nursed him back to health and he was on his way."

"Yes, well, I'm a **Gypsy**. I go **whenever** and **wherever** I feel the urge too-I just don't always think of the reprocusions."

"That's an understatement."

There it was again, that slightly darker tone. What where these two not telling them?

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Sorry this one's short guys! I'll update ASAP! I would have had this up sooner, but I lost it and had to start over. ^.^'

~Ray


End file.
